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Siltcoos (also known as Siltcoos Station) is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is about south of Florence on the east shore of
John Mitchell
pushed Congress to open the entire region between
Danish immigrant, Neal Christensen, homesteaded the area known as Siltcoos in 1892, settling under the National Timber and Stone Act. He and his sons built docks and piers to enable the shipment of supplies to build the Lane line of the SP Railroad. During this time, the Christensen entrepreneurial spirit blossomed. They planted apples and figs along the shores of the lake and profited off of red clover ranching. They created a ferry system of barges between neighboring lakes that connected the roadway to the railroad construction area. The areas between the lakes were connected via stagecoaches and small gauge rails. In 1914, the rail was completed including a railroad switch and stop in front of what became Siltcoos Station. As a result of the rail, small industry such and lumber mills and fishing resorts started to flourish and the lake population grew. The stagecoach road built by Christensen that connected part of the road between Woahink lake and Siltcoos lake became known as Siltcoos Station Road.
By the 1910s and 1920s, the Christensens seized the opportunity and built a post office, store, and dance hall all using Scandinavian architecture with steep pitched roofs and on stilts over water. By the 1930s they had built five cabins, an outboard motor repair shop, petrol station, and a school. Christensen expanded his barge business by ferrying passengers and supplies throughout the lake to historic Darling's resort, the Roosevelt Hotel, Booth Lumber mill, Ada, or his retreat that included, "floating whorehouses in front of his store". A 1955, article from the Siuslaw News, explained how the men's operation functioned,
''"During the period before the rail was built the Christensen's made money running passengers across the lakes. There were five boys to run and manage six gas boats for passenger service, one on Woahink, one on Tahkenitch and four on Siltcoos Lake. The Porter brothers had a railroad contract to haul materials. They had built a narrow gauge railroad, only about 2 feet wide, from the Siuslaw River at Glenada to the North end of Woahink Lake, where Honeyman Park is now. All the pilings, railroad timbers and supplies arrived by rail to Woahink Lake, then the supplies were loaded on barges and towed by the Christensen's to Siltcoos Lake, then to their destination at Ada to be used in the construction of the Railroad from Eugene to Coos Bay. The Railroad passes by the East side of Siltcoos Lake.''"
Train services from Eugene to Coos Bay, including overnight stops at Siltcoos Station were common up until the mid-1960s. Events on the trains sponsored by the I.O.O.F. and other organizations were weekly occurrences. Dances in the hall during the winter months maintained a steady flow of people from the Willamette Valley. However, during this time accidents did occur. In April 1935 a train derailed in front of the store and dance hall, nearly crushing all three stilt buildings. A vagabond on the train was stuck under the wreck and required locals to dig him out. In the 1950s a massive tree trunk pushed up the Siltcoos river during a storm and smashed into the pilings of the post office.
May 21, 1977 ''Register-Guard'' story
about the Siltcoos Station store
March 21, 1983 ''Register-Guard'' story
about Siltcoos Station
January 21, 2008 ''Register-Guard'' story
about LCC renovation {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lane County, Oregon 1916 establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon
Siltcoos Lake
Siltcoos Lake (silt’-koos), at , is the largest lake on the Oregon Coast of the United States. Fed by runoff from a basin of about in Douglas and Lane counties, it is about south of Florence and east of U.S. Route 101. Its name comes from a L ...
.
The word Siltcoos is Native American and could refer to the name of a local chief or to a family name. It is also possible that "Tsilt" and " Coos" translates to "plenty elk" in the Coosan language
The Coosan (also Coos or Kusan) language family consists of two languages spoken along the southern Oregon coast. Both languages are now extinct.
Classification
* Hanis ''†''
* Miluk ''†'' ( Lower Coquille)
Melville Jacobs (1939) says th ...
and in reference to the coastal Roosevelt Elk herds. The spelling of the community was "Tsiltcoos" but "Siltcoos" was made the official name by a 1917, Board on Geographic Names decision. 1916, marked the establishment of "Lane" station on the Coos Bay Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It also had a post office named Siltcoos. Lane was the last station on the line in Lane County, Oregon. In 1921, the train station name was to match the post office, thus becoming Siltcoos Station. Siltcoos post office closed in 1963, with mail going to Gardiner.
History
United States - Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Indian Relations
In 1848, the British granted sovereignty of the Oregon Territory to the United States through the Oregon Organic Act. This created the U.S. Oregon Territory and protected all Indian rights and title to land to the Native Americans living there, stating, “That nothing in this Act contained shall be construed to impair the rights of persons or property now pertaining to the Indians in said territory so long as such rights shall remain unextinguished by the treaty between the United States and said Indians.” This, however, was not to be the case. In 1855, the Coast Indian Reservation (later called theSiletz Reservation
The Siletz Reservation is a 5.852 sq mi (15.157 km²) Indian reservation in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States, owned by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. The reservation is made up of numerous non-contiguous parcels of land in east-centra ...
), included the entire Oregon Central Coast Range and traversed more than a million acres from Cape Lookout to the mouth of the Siltcoos River. Those Native Americans defeated during the Rogue River Wars
The Rogue River Wars were an armed conflict in 1855–1856 between the U.S. Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue River Valley area o ...
in Southern Oregon, relocated to this reservation. The reservation was a confusing and dark place for tribal members who challenged to translate their previous lives to the different central coast environment. Yet, it was not long before white settlers wanted more coastal land for themselves. In 1864, construction finished in on a stagecoach road between Eugene
Eugene may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...
and the coast. By 1865, President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
granted a swath of reservation land to white settlers. In 1875, Oregon senatoJohn Mitchell
pushed Congress to open the entire region between
Siltcoos River
The Siltcoos River is a stream on the central coast of the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at Siltcoos Lake, which straddles the border between Douglas and Lane counties. The river meanders generally west to the Pacific Ocean. It is located abou ...
and Yaquina Bay for white settlement. In a few short years the confiscation of the land reserved as Tribal land in the Siltcoos region resulted in the relocation of Native Americans to the Coast Reservation The Coast Indian Reservation is a former Indian reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon, established in 1855. It was gradually reduced in size and in the 21st century is known as the present-day Siletz Reservation.
History
The Coast Reservation wa ...
and the Grand Ronde Reservation.
Siltcoos Homestead
Danish immigrant, Neal Christensen, homesteaded the area known as Siltcoos in 1892, settling under the National Timber and Stone Act. He and his sons built docks and piers to enable the shipment of supplies to build the Lane line of the SP Railroad. During this time, the Christensen entrepreneurial spirit blossomed. They planted apples and figs along the shores of the lake and profited off of red clover ranching. They created a ferry system of barges between neighboring lakes that connected the roadway to the railroad construction area. The areas between the lakes were connected via stagecoaches and small gauge rails. In 1914, the rail was completed including a railroad switch and stop in front of what became Siltcoos Station. As a result of the rail, small industry such and lumber mills and fishing resorts started to flourish and the lake population grew. The stagecoach road built by Christensen that connected part of the road between Woahink lake and Siltcoos lake became known as Siltcoos Station Road.
By the 1910s and 1920s, the Christensens seized the opportunity and built a post office, store, and dance hall all using Scandinavian architecture with steep pitched roofs and on stilts over water. By the 1930s they had built five cabins, an outboard motor repair shop, petrol station, and a school. Christensen expanded his barge business by ferrying passengers and supplies throughout the lake to historic Darling's resort, the Roosevelt Hotel, Booth Lumber mill, Ada, or his retreat that included, "floating whorehouses in front of his store". A 1955, article from the Siuslaw News, explained how the men's operation functioned,
''"During the period before the rail was built the Christensen's made money running passengers across the lakes. There were five boys to run and manage six gas boats for passenger service, one on Woahink, one on Tahkenitch and four on Siltcoos Lake. The Porter brothers had a railroad contract to haul materials. They had built a narrow gauge railroad, only about 2 feet wide, from the Siuslaw River at Glenada to the North end of Woahink Lake, where Honeyman Park is now. All the pilings, railroad timbers and supplies arrived by rail to Woahink Lake, then the supplies were loaded on barges and towed by the Christensen's to Siltcoos Lake, then to their destination at Ada to be used in the construction of the Railroad from Eugene to Coos Bay. The Railroad passes by the East side of Siltcoos Lake.''"
Train services from Eugene to Coos Bay, including overnight stops at Siltcoos Station were common up until the mid-1960s. Events on the trains sponsored by the I.O.O.F. and other organizations were weekly occurrences. Dances in the hall during the winter months maintained a steady flow of people from the Willamette Valley. However, during this time accidents did occur. In April 1935 a train derailed in front of the store and dance hall, nearly crushing all three stilt buildings. A vagabond on the train was stuck under the wreck and required locals to dig him out. In the 1950s a massive tree trunk pushed up the Siltcoos river during a storm and smashed into the pilings of the post office.
Lane Community College
In 1972, after a decline in population as a result of the completion of theOregon Coast Highway
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Ida ...
and its bridges, the Christensen's donate Siltcoos Station to Lane Community College. The college used it as in inter-collegiate art retreat for several years; however, repair and maintenance was neglected. In 2007, after being condemned, Lane Community College renovated the buildings via donations of time and supplies by the community. Unfortunately, the college was unable to utilize the retreat and sold it in 2015. All proceeds went to art scholarships per the request of the Christensen family. The resort again returned to being operated by private ownership and is in the process of a full restoration of the docks and buildings.
References
External links
May 21, 1977 ''Register-Guard'' story
about the Siltcoos Station store
March 21, 1983 ''Register-Guard'' story
about Siltcoos Station
January 21, 2008 ''Register-Guard'' story
about LCC renovation {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lane County, Oregon 1916 establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon